MINES DEPARTMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 185, 7 August 1890, Page 3

MINES DEPARTMENT.

ANNUAL REPORT.

(BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN REPORTER.)

Wellington, this day. fHE annnal report of the Mines Depart' nient was presented in the House yesterday. Mr Gordon, Inspector■. of -the Department, cays that the 'establishment) of Schools of Mines is beginningto have a good effect on mining.VVery-largey v -large ■ numbers of miners are now able todisfciniruishvtbe different ores met with, and to ascertain the percentage of metals they contain. The Thames School is largely.-patronised and is doinfra deal of useful work. The success attending the school is due in a, great measure to the regulai-ity with which the classes are lield. ...,.,.. The total expenditure on Schools of Mines for the five years they ha vo 'been in existence was -including £2,700 paid the Otago University. Mr Gordon's opinion is that if serviced and instructors ■were strictly confined to the t\vo schools, Beef ton and Thames, progress would be much greater. • - The total expenditure on water races throughout' the colony to date has been £344,837, the total profits during the twelve years they have been working being £58,757. The Waimea-Kumara race is the only race in the colony which has paid for the expenditure of keeping it in repair. COEOMANDEL. I The yield of gold from Coroma?idel last yeitr was nob so large ac for the former ; nevertheless, the mining ventures bhere, on the whole, present a more healthy aspect than for some year?. This is in a jrreafc tneaaure due to the .'introduction of English capital. Mr Gordon's,opinion is that the Ooromandel field is likely to afford a pro£table employment for individual miners in the high ranges for many years to come. Seven claims in the Tokatea Range last year produced 1,8760/. from 272£ tons, equal to a little over 7oz 17d\yt per ton. 3dr Gordon believes Kuaotunu is likely to yield a large quantity or cold. j \ THAMES DISTRICT. .'.' The yield of {roldtroni the Thames distiicfc for the past year shows a slight decrenso on previous year's return, although the mine& on the whole look more prpmwinp. A ereaJ deal of dead work has been done, \ and beover appliances are beinjr K°V «' hicl. Will curfc&il expense, or at least be the means of orebehu? brought to the crushing plants at cheaper rate. The total yield of gold on the Thames district. lasfc year amounted to 2S817o»; the quantity mullock crushed (Including specimens), 29.695 tons ; quantity guam crueEed, 31,691*- twa. Hansen s kuranui No. 3 crushed -15,675 tons mullock (including specimens), for l,uwoz; average yield of goM per ton, ldwt ] graine Comer's fiuranui No. 2 crushed 10,500 tons (including mullock), for 6170z, being at the irate of loz 4dwfc per tofis Moanataian put through 3,065t0ns mutlock {including speeiEieDa?and49s bdnsquartz for 6150z, equal to Sdwt'lOerperton. 'The Moanataian also tons quartz for SWoz, equal to loz 17dwt 21 K r per ton. Saxpn_ put through 14.550 'tons qnartz -for S>l /loz ; Caledonian,' 4,128 tons quartz xor ?950z; Waiotahi, 1,431 tone quartz for Cambria, 522 tons quartz for l,olßoz ;£«*» and Fortune, 1,146 tons quartz for •1.309?z ; .Lone Hand, 551 tons quarto for I,OW The riuisber of wages men is -about OOU, While there are aboub 200 tribatew. - So k'Bs can be ascertained, from Taou liar© been crushed ion-1470z.- Unly ibree elairas are now working ab Mantoto, &r> d the nrosoects of their becoming pay able investments are nob very encouraging. There is now, however, a small K r ' ndl »* plant on the field, and this may be the jmeauß : pf prospecting being more energetically carried on. : KARANGAHAKE. ... ; • Inferring to Karangahake, Mr Gordon expresses the opinion that the treatment used tiy Mr Reilly in his pans was justified, andwOfld -have showed a fair percentage of bullion if he had crushed the ore dry and then treafcsdit in :■ biff pans, os ie no*' done at Wailii There lias not been a great deal of work done in the-Waihi.mines since last visit Mr Gordon describes the American battery ieefced by the Waihi Company Sd wifS to be hoped that there will be abundance of payable ore to refund the shareholders for th.c -large outlay of money Lent in ioolish bk-adering, which would »ofc have been tolerated had it to local proprietors. Unfortunately.the money ■pent ie foreign capital, and unless the mine poeeeseeewmie rich ore tawconp the outlay it wiU be the means of retarding the introduction of capital into the colony for mining ventures. ■•'.'•: ' , Daring tbeyear the value of -undertaken in the colony was i>17,100. Mr ■Gordon considore that- on-the whole-the shining induetry is looking better than it &as done-.for years. PUHIPUfit. deferring to Pahipubi MrGprdon says it fg yeprwSataxU. to. say whether the neld "Jt become payable for working or not. The-e are a large-namber .of quartz, lodes, in iuhipu £ forest *nd between it and Cape Brett" b" fc fchere f I°* B « fficien f b $?* xapid development, and will lead to reduction works being erected in the vicinity of fhe mining opefation,. When this » once done the question at JP/™ field will soon be decided. One of most important questions in connection with tins Lid is the erection of a suitable plant for the proper treatment of ore. it tne o"e were in the form of chlorides it, wuld be easily dealt with ; but when silver occurs in sulphides, the chlorxdising process will have to be adopted. A. somewhat similav.character of ore is found in Owhyhee district;, Idako, on the Pacific slope The process adopted• there for treatment of the «reis what is known as the Woehoe process, tout if the ore contains a very large percentage of sulphides, it would have to be Sned dry and roasted with a liwle «Jt to Sloridise the metal before putting it m the pans, as it is almost impossible to Julphide of silver to settle in tanks such as ire used in the Washoe process, sulphur Zein* co-light ametal and having so great ian affinity for other metals that it is earned «,way by the